Suvendu’s Mamata-Baby jibe ahead of INDIA bloc rally

• Suvendu Adhikari accuses Mamata Banerjee and M.A. Baby of joining hands to revive political violence in Bengal.

• Adhikari vows to reopen cases linked to the Left Front era and targets the TMC over alleged violence.

• Agnimitra Paul attacks Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks about Narendra Modi, while Congress defends its president.

The INDIA bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, 1 November unfolded against the backdrop of sharp attacks by BJP leaders in Bengal on Opposition unity and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

On Saturday, Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari targeted former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby, accusing the Trinamool Congress and the Left of joining hands despite their bitter political history. BJP leader and minister Agnimitra Paul, meanwhile, hit out at Kharge over his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Adhikari’s attack came at a BJP-organised ‘Save Democracy’ (Ganatantra Bachao) programme in Garbeta, Paschim Medinipur, on Saturday. Referring to the cordial interaction between Banerjee and Baby at an INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi, he claimed that the TMC and the CPI(M) had become virtually indistinguishable and were working together to revive an era of political violence and instability.

“Today, the TMC and the CPI(M) are one and the same. Both sides have merged to bring back those days of anarchy,” Adhikari said.

Mocking the apparent closeness between the two leaders, he used the terms ‘aunty’ and ‘baby’ to target them. Referring to Mamata as ‘pisi’, the Bengali term for aunt, he said, “In Delhi, ‘baby’ and ‘aunty’ have become quite close. Do you know who ‘aunty’ is? It is none other than ‘pisi’. She and the CPI(M)'s national-level leader, M.A. Baby, have now struck up a close friendship.”

Adhikari alleged that the TMC and the CPI(M), which had fought each other for years in Bengal, were now politically aligned through the INDIA bloc. He accused both parties of seeking to revive the violence that marked earlier periods of the state’s politics, and claimed that leaders once involved in atrocities were now changing political colours and wearing the ‘red’ badge.

He also predicted that voters would reject the TMC and its Left allies in the upcoming Kolkata and Howrah municipal elections. “The people will completely wipe out the TMC and their allies, the red party, who want to create instability in India,” he said.

Adhikari then turned to the Left Front’s 34-year rule in Bengal, promising to reopen cases relating to political violence, including the 2007 Nandigram violence and the alleged involvement of armed men from Garhbeta and Chhota Angaria.

Adhikari accused people associated with the CPI(M)’s leadership at the time of travelling from Garbeta to Nandigram with firearms to carry out what he described as a ‘bloody sunrise’.

“I will open the files on crimes committed during the Left Front regime. I will reopen the cases of those who operated from the CPI(M) office in Garhbeta, took up arms and went to Nandigram to orchestrate a bloody sunrise. Not a single person will be spared,” he said.

He specifically referred to the 10 November 2007 'Operation Suryoday', when CPI(M) supporters allegedly attempted to regain control of Nandigram amid the anti-land acquisition movement. The episode remains a significant point of political confrontation between the TMC and the Left. Adhikari also referred to the Chhoto Angaria killings and questioned the whereabouts of those allegedly involved.

CPI(M) hits back

Adhikari’s remarks drew a sharp response from CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, who dismissed the threat to reopen old cases as political rhetoric. Taking a dig at both Banerjee and Adhikari, he said such threats had been heard before.

“We have been hearing talks of opening files for a long time. Previously, Mamata Banerjee used to threaten us but could not find any file. Now Suvendu Adhikari is saying the same things. Whatever he does, he will not be able to scare us or save his godfather, Modi,” Chakraborty said.

Abhishek responds to Diamond Harbour challenge

TMC national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee also responded to a separate electoral challenge issued by Adhikari. At a meeting in Baruipur, the BJP leader had challenged Banerjee to contest again from Diamond Harbour in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, claiming the BJP would defeat him by a bigger margin than his previous victory.

Banerjee questioned whether the Election Commission had already decided the outcome. Referring to chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, he sarcastically asked whether a new “astrologer” had joined the Commission to predict election results in advance. “If the party gives me the opportunity, I will contest from Diamond Harbour again,” he said.

Banerjee added that voters would ultimately decide whether the power of the Election Commission and the government was greater than the democratic power of ordinary citizens.

Agnimitra targets Kharge over Modi remarks

BJP leader and minister Agnimitra Paul also targeted Kharge over his remarks about the prime minister. “I do not know what other states may do, but we will ensure that Mallikarjun Kharge does not set foot in Bengal again following his remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Paul said.

West Bengal Congress president Shubhankar Sarkar defended Kharge, saying he had not been treated appropriately in Uttarakhand and that his remarks in Bihar were a response to heckling.

“Kharge was not treated appropriately in Uttarakhand, and his remarks in Bihar were a response to heckling. The BJP is selectively targeting him despite Modi having made controversial remarks himself. This is merely an attempt to divert attention from irregularities in the SIR exercise,” Sarkar said.